What is TRE, Inner Dance and JourneyDance?
TRE (tension-trauma release exercises), Innerdance Energy Process, and JourneyDance are unique approaches that I use for self-care, healing, and expressing myself. I’ll provide a brief explanation of each modality below.
– TRE (tension/trauma-releasing exercises) –
TRE is easily accessible as an “anytime, anywhere” tool when I want to let go of stress efficiently and naturally. It involves seven exercises that produce a reflex response to open the psoas muscle.
This is a pretty big deal since our psoas muscle holds our emotional, physical, mental stress and is connected to regulating our nervous system.
It’s involved in flight and fight and other ways our body tries to help us survive.
We want to teach our psoas muscle to release through tremors, as this is the body’s natural way to let go of tension. Release can be physical, emotional, mental, or energetic.
As a TRE provider and practitioner, it is amazing to observe what the body discharges at any given moment. Some of the ‘typical’ experiences I’ve had include: crying, seeing images, having my spine adjusted on its own, and healing low back pain.
Each person’s process will be different as this is reflected on our own life experiences.
– Inner Dance –
On the other hand, Innerdance creates a sacred space that works with the energy field for deep journeys that is often referred to as a “life review” or re-birthing process.
The instructions are simple for the participant— to lie down, relax and let go. The facilitator uses a playlist with a specific sequence of brainwave frequencies.
When a participant is in a relaxed state, the body picks up the music as sound vibrations to go into an expanded state of consciousness. I sometimes call this a 4D experience— being fully aware of what is happening while being presented with multi-sensory activity that can be interactive, visual, or somatic.
The facilitator gently guides the process with verbal cues, added sounds, or light touches to prompt the participant deeper into the experience.
At the end, I reminde participants to tune into the message from Innerdance, as it is usually related to what we need to face, where we are at in life, what patterns we have, and seeing ourselves a little bit more clearly.
– Journey Dance –
When I want to express myself through movement, JourneyDance allows me to feel safe by connecting to music, themes, and guided imagery.
To represent various roles (i.e., a leaf blowing in the wind, or the word ‘confident’) is an experience that I can embody and feel enchanted by. The variety in music is a good way to notice what comes up for the participant while moving through the themes: attunement, immersion, expansion, funky connection, shamanic, empowerment, celebration, heart, prayer, and bliss. Is it ease, joy, sadness, self-consciousness, or vulnerability?
This also provides insight into where our comfort zone lies, and whether we are willing to go beyond.
For me, JourneyDance is a way to build community, to be seen by others, and to inspire others to be free.
– Life Festival 2017 –
The more I have opened up to different modalities, the more I have learned about myself and gained what I needed. The common thread in TRE, Innerdance and JourneyDance is to let go of the mind and be guided by the wisdom of my body and soul. I hope you’ll join me for these wonderful opportunities at Museflower’s Life Festival!
Here’s what people have said about Tammy’s session:
“Tammy brought with her several healing modalities to offer to our community in Hawaii, and I was fortunate to experience several of them. In a private TRE® (Tension and Trauma Release) session, Tammy gently led me through several exercises that triggered involuntary tremors, mostly in my and around my inner thighs, which provided a soothing sense of tension release. Journey Dance was a guided and free flowing creative dance expression; part meditation, part shamanic healing and very enjoyable. However, it was the Inner Dance that rocked my world. At the time, I’d been struggling to process a lot of deep sorrow and emotions but was having a difficult time breaking through the thick walls of protection I’d built up around my heart. Tammy did a beautiful job of providing a safe and loving container for us. What seemed like such a simple process wound up being a release of the emotions that I’d been stuffing down inside of myself for a very long time. My body literally swirled and twirled around the room without me forcing it, and the cleansing tears that I’d needed to shed so badly were finally released. I remember sleeping better that night than I had in many months. I’m so grateful for having been gifted with that experience and would recommend that if you ever have the chance to work with Tammy, do it! She is beautiful inside and out.” ~ Zen, USA
My Recent Experience with TRE
– How TRE Accelerated my Healing Journey –
by Tania Ho
Recently I attended Tammy’s TRE workshop hosted in New Life Foundation, Chiang Rai. I knew instinctively that it was something my body much needed after my miscarriage and operation in March (you can read about my story here).
This was the third time I tried TRE with Tammy. Every time, Tammy held a very safe space for the group to let go and relax.
After we went through the seven exercises and lied down for the shaking to happen, I consciously paid attention to see if any tremors would occur around my stomach and pelvic area. Funny enough, my right wrist was shaking instead, along with my legs.
So like going through any type of “detox”, I felt pretty tired after the workshop and stayed at home to rest.
Next day we moved our office equipment and files back to our office after we installed new floor. My staff and I went through a lot of old documents and threw away a bunch of stuff that was no longer useful. That night, I started to have a runny nose and I came down with a cold for the next few days. All part of the “detoxing”, I suppose.
Then I flew back to Hong Kong for my birthday holiday with my husband. Luckily I was mostly recovered from the cold by then.
Just a couple days before my birthday on full moon day, I did a Shamanic journey meditation. Usually I would lie down for the meditation but since my bed was crowded with stuff, I decided to try doing it sitting. Interestingly enough, in this Shamanic journey I felt like I was traveling back to my past life and reliving my first life here on Earth. Then I started to shake, right in the stomach and pelvic area (the psoas muscle) while sitting on the chair.
In my meditation, I was reliving how I lived and died in my first life without any pain or emotions. Now I understood why I have carried wounds in my pelvic area, they are not only from this life but from many lives ago as well. As my body continued to shake, it was releasing any trauma and blocked energy around this wound. All the while in the back of my mind, I was just completely blown away how crazy and amazing all this was. I never could have imagined tremors could happen during meditation, though Tammy did mention that when her body felt relaxed, her body would naturally shake to release any tension and trauma.
Through this whole experience I regained clarity on what I need to do next, and you will see very soon in the next newsletter about a series of fun weekend workshops I will be sharing in the next few months.
I am so grateful for the TRE workshop, because through TRE it accelerated my healing process. It helped to unlock this deep energetic “wound” I was carrying and showed me the healing and self-care that I needed to do. The healing is still in process, and I look forward to what unfolds next.
Want to know more about TRE?
Read about my first experience with TRE in 2016 here
(How Shaking can Help to Discharge Stress – My Wellness Journey with TRE)
Visit Tammy Hayano’s TRE webpage here
for helpful videos and more resources on TRE
(Tammy also offers private TRE sessions in Chiang Mai or via skype, group TRE sessions and workshops)
Feel free to share your feedback in our blog page.
About Tammy Hayano
Tammy Hayano is the creator of Hanuman Yoga Retreat. Originally from California, she has been an ex-pat in various countries, as well as a world traveler for the past 14 years. Tammy took her love of travel, teaching background, and interest in transformational experiences to start Hanuman Yoga Retreat. Since its launch in 2013, Tammy has led retreats in Bali, Thailand, Mexico, Hawaii, and California. Tammy is trained in Hatha Yoga, JourneyDance™, Qi Gong, Inner Dance, TRE/tension-trauma releasing exercises, and Laughter Yoga.
For more information on Tammy and her work, visit her personal website here: https://www.hanumanyogaretreat.com/
Tammy will also be facilitating TRE, Inner Dance and JourneyDance during our Third Annual Museflower Life Festival Weekend Retreat from October 6 – 9, 2017.
